Product stewardship is a principle that directs all participants involved in the life cycle of a product to take shared responsibility for the impacts to human health and the natural environment that result from its production, use and end-of-life management. Learn more about product stewardship.

Beginning in 2003, Connecticut participated in a nationwide dialogue with paint manufacturers, recyclers, state and local governments, and other stakeholders to address the problem of how to dispose of unwanted paint. The Product Stewardship Institute facilitated the discussion. As a result of that dialogue, Connecticut signed a memorandum of understanding with the paint industry which led to the introduction of legislation in 2010. The legislation became law in 2011. Under the law, paint manufacturers will assume the costs of managing unwanted latex and oil-based paints. The program will be funded by a fee paid by the consumer when they purchase paint. Learn more about Connecticut's Public Act 11-24, An Act Establishing a Paint Stewardship Program.

On July 1, 2013, PaintCare, a non-profit association of paint and coating manufacturers, rolled out a program in Connecticut designed to collect and recycle unwanted paint and coatings. The program is a direct result of the Paint Stewardship Law passed in 2011 and has resulted in a network of convenient drop-off locations for unwanted oil and latex paint. The list continues to grow and is expected to contain over 100 retail drop-off locations by the end of 2013.

Residents can continue to bring oil based paint to their town’s household hazardous waste (HHW) collections. Some of these HHW collections may add latex paint to the list of acceptable items. Check with your HHW program to see if they will accept latex paint. Some municipal transfer stations have partnered with PaintCare to serve as collection points. Contact your local recycling coordinator to see if your town will accept paint.

Retailers will play an important role in the implementation of the paint stewardship program. Retailers that sell paint will need to assess a fee at the point of sale which will be remitted to the paint manufacturers to cover the cost of operating the program. In order to sell paint in Connecticut, the fee will need to be added to the purchase price. Retailers are responsible for ensuring that all manufacturers of all the paint products covered under the law are currently registered with PaintCare.

In addition, retailers may choose to serve as a drop-off site for unwanted paint. By offering this service, retailers may invite additional foot traffic into their store while providing a valuable service to their customers. A General Permit registration is required to engage in the collection of paint, however PaintCare will walk through the process with you, submit the application on your behalf, and pay the permit fee.

Video that shows paint retailers the benefits of having their business become a PaintCare partner. It also provides details on what is involved with becoming a drop-off site for leftover paint. (Length: 3 minutes)

Municipalities have historically managed unwanted residential paint either through household hazardous waste collections (oil-based) or through the solid waste (latex). Under the stewardship program managed by PaintCare, municipalities may elect to accept paint at their transfer station under the municipal transfer station general permit. PaintCare will provide the necessary container and pick up the container when it is full.

Municipalities may also elect to accept latex paint at their local household hazardous waste collection. The paint at these collections will be set aside and managed by the vendor selected by PaintCare. The latex paint will be recycled if at all possible . The oil based paint will be used for fuel blending.

Video that shows municipalities and regional agencies the benefits of having transfer stations or household hazardous waste collections become drop-off sites for leftover paint. It also provides details on what is involved with becoming a PaintCare partner (Length: 4 minutes)

If you manufacture paint that is sold in Connecticut, you must register your name and brands with PaintCare. The Paint Stewardship Law requires manufacturers to register their brands and pay a fee to PaintCare. Manufacturers are reimbursed by charging the distributor or retailer. Please visit the PaintCare website for more information.

CT DEEP is conducting a survey to better understand how much unwanted paint Connecticut homeowners have. This information will prove helpful in planning Connecticut’s new Paint Stewardship law. The survey asks Connecticut homeowners to answer a few short questions about unwanted paint. If you own a home in Connecticut, please take a moment to complete the survey.